Burn the Evidence
by Marlin-Rae
Summary: Tortured and left for dead, it was a miracle he was still breathing.
1. Chapter 1

_New story idea 8D Please R&R_

_**Disclaimer: **No. I do not own anything relating to D. Gray Man~  
_

**Chapter 1**

"Somebody!" She screamed, running through the doors of the infirmary. "Help him!"

Several nurses in the room stood up alarmed by her entrance. Lenalee crashed into the arms of the nearest woman and sobbed. She was trembling, terrified- as if she was going to simply fall apart.

"What's wro-?"

The doors swung open again and the woman looked up, her eyes became large immediately.

"My God,"

Allen and Kanda were covered in blood, most of which didn't belong to either of them. The slumped, unmoving body between them was barely recognizable, except for the soaked head of hair cascading down his face. Red in color, it blended with the crimson shade of his wounds.

"Get him over here!" The head nurse took charge, having the young man placed on a medical table. The other medical personal rushed to get supplies and hurried to her side.

Lenalee was now in Allen's arms. He had a hand on the back of her head as she cried into his shirt. Carefully, Allen watched the scene before them and bit down on his lip. Kanda stood nearby faced toward the door; he could still see all the commotion out of his peripheral vision. Part of him intended to leave, wanted to leave, and it was in his pride to do so. But Kanda didn't move. He planned to only stay so long, he would never admit it, but Kanda was worried.

Only a couple minutes had passed before the three were forced to leave.

Kanda walked off immediately, while Allen stayed stationary in the hallway with Lenalee. She was still shaking, but her sobs had calmed down immensely.

"He's going to be fine," Allen whispered, stroking her hair. "He'll be just fine,"

Lenalee gasped, clenching onto Allen's clothing tighter.

"Lavi... he..." Her voice shook. "How did he?"

"Shh..." Allen held her closer. "That's not important right now,"

She was crying harder again.

Allen swallowed hard, his own eyes blurring with tears he quickly blinked away. He didn't even know what had caused Lavi to end up in such a state. The redhead had gone missing during the battle, only for Kanda and Allen to find him several hours later clinging onto what little life he had left.

Lavi had been lying in a puddle of his own blood. His ribs shattered, and one of his knees busted. It looked as if someone had taken a knife to the palms of his hands and his face, and also stabbed him in the shoulder. Lavi's clothing had been shredded as well, barely covering his mangled body. Allen had thought he was dead once they found him; his heart had stopped in that moment. But the junior bookman was still breathing, and warm- luckily he hadn't been lying there for very long.

"Lavi's strong, Lenalee," Allen spoke up, reassuring himself as well.

"Y- Yeah," She whispered back, keeping her head down. "I... I know,"

Allen closed his eyes. He was heartbroken over the incident, but also frustrated. A frustration that slowly became anger. Whatever or whoever did this, had singled out Lavi. They had also purposely left him alive, maybe by chance, but for some reason Allen doubted that.

"Come on..." He gently moved Lenalee along with him. "You should lie down,"

She was lightly whimpering now, her tears had drained away her energy. Allen did most of the walking for her and helped her to bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Good night, Lenalee," He whispered, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. He was at least happy Lenalee hadn't been a part of that mission; she would have reacted much worse if she had found Lavi instead of Allen or Kanda.

Leaving the room, Allen closed the door behind him. He sighed, looking down at his hands, still stained with blood.

"Damn it!" He hit his fist on the opposing wall. Frantically, he searched his mind for reasons why he hadn't found Lavi before then. Was he really that distracted? Had he simply not made it over fast enough? All of these questions made Allen's head hurt. He couldn't blame himself for this, but that was a hard task to accomplish.

"Whatever... did this," He muttered to himself, clenching the fist against the wall tighter. "I'll find them,"

Allen turned away and finally walked back to his own bedroom. His mind actively continued to look for answers that didn't exist, while flashes of Lavi's broken body remained lingering on the surface of it all.

He could already tell sleep was not going to come easy for him tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

_I apologize for the length of time it took me to write this *__* Writer's Block is OH SO fun- no?_

_Anywho~_

_Thank you thank you THANK YOU to everyone who read and reviewed! You all get magical cookies, freshly baked from me! You are all AWESOME!  
_

_Please be sure to keep it up 8D And more cookies are promised!!!_

_Again- I do not own DGM. Bawwww ;~;_

_---  
_

**Chapter 2**

"Lenalee, come along, fresh air would be good for you,"

The young Chinese girl ignored the gentle voice of her older brother. Her hand clenched onto Lavi's, she blinked furiously at what tears built up behind her eyes.

Three weeks had passed since Lavi was found in such a gruesome condition. His eyes had yet to open.

"Lenalee," Komui spoke again, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder.

She shook her head and leaned over the bed, placing her face against the hand she held so tightly. She had been by the boy's side almost every day, waiting for him to wake up, hoping to see her close friend's smile again, hear his laugh. She made sure to speak to him every day as well, telling him stories with little to no meaning, and let him know how much he was loved. She would always try her hardest not to cry to Lavi, she didn't want him to hear that, if the young man could hear at all.

Allen walked into the room, a small paper bag in his hands. He looked to Komui and nodded.

"Good afternoon," He smiled, showing some pity to the man. Lenalee had been causing Komui even more worry as of late. "Avoiding work?"

"Whatever do you mean?" The branch leader managed to smirk. "I am checking in with Lavi and making sure Lenalee is well... It can most definitely fall under 'work'."

"Does Reever know where you are?" Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Not important," Komui quickly replied turning his attention back to Lenalee. "I would like Lenalee to take a break from this room... she could use some sunlight,"

Allen nodded. "I'll try and get her to take a break,"

"Please, do," Komui sighed. "Ten minutes. That's all I'm asking,"

"I'll take care of it," Allen replied with another nod. "You can get back to work now,"

Komui smiled a smile of gratitude and relief before turning to leave.

Allen opened the brown bag he had brought in and pulled out an apple.

"Here, Lenalee," He held the fruit out to her.

For a moment she stayed still, grasping onto Lavi's hand as if she let go, he'd fade away. Finally she sat up and took the apple into her hands.

"Thank you, Allen,"

"I thought you might be hungry," He smiled softly in return, trying to mask the concern he had growing for the girl in front of him. It was enough to be tormented over one friend's condition; Allen couldn't bear to deal with two.

"You need to take care of yourself... Lavi would want you to,"

"I... I know," She turned the apple in her hands, examining each part of it, as if she was searching for an abnormality in the piece of fruit. "I'm just... so worried about him. It's been weeks,"

Allen nodded. "He'll come around, Lenalee. You need to have some faith,"

Her eyes had drifted from the apple, and back onto Lavi's lifeless body. She swallowed hard, nibbling on her lip, before looking back down at her hands.

"Lenalee," Allen reached over, and put a hand on her knee. "Lavi is going to be alright,"

She nodded slowly, unsure of whether she really believed it. Allen tilted her head up with his other hand so their eyes met.

"Eat, sleep... go outside for a little while," His voice remained steady. "So when Lavi wakes up, the first thing he'll see is you, and your beautiful smile,"

Lenalee's eyes grew fresh with tears as her lips curved upward slightly.

"I will,"

Allen embraced her, as she sobbed. He soothed her, whispering whatever positive thought came to his head as he gently rubbed her back. It calmed her down relatively quickly, and right after she finally bit into her apple. After she finished eating, she decided she would go take a shower before going outside. Allen approved of her decision, and watched her carefully as she took her leave.

The silence in the room grew thick once the door was shut. Allen let out a sigh of relief before taking his own moment to look at his comatose friend. He folded his hands and pondered on what had taken place over the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, it was hardly anything worth thinking about.

A couple days after Lavi was discovered and brought back to HQ, Allen had gone back to the area they had found Lavi. He searched and searched, looking for something, anything that would point towards what possibly could have happened. It was discouraging. No matter how many times Allen looked, and combed over the scene, he found nothing.

Absolutely **nothing**.

Allen ran fingers through his hair, and inhaled deeply. He had never seen an attack like this before... There was no way an akuma had done that; Lavi would have been killed otherwise. And the state he was in was no way a work of a Noah. It didn't make sense, and Allen couldn't be anything but frustrated by the situation.

Who would target Lavi? Who would do something so grotesque and disturbing? Who?

Allen found himself starting to tremble, his heart pounding, and teeth clenched. Furious at the questions that were left unanswered and stuck in his throat; antagonized by the fact his dear friend had been a part of something so terrible.

"Lavi," He grasped the hand of the older boy before him. "I will figure this out. I promise."

He squeezed the hand, taking in a shaky breath.

"You need to wake up soon... We all miss you..." He paused. "Believe it or not, even Kanda..."

Allen laughed a little, blinking hard.

"Maybe if you wake, you will remember who did this to you..." Allen looked away, grinding his teeth. Tears were close to shedding, but he forced them back. "I want so badly... to know,"

Lavi's body remained motionless.

"Please."

Lavi's other hand twitched slightly.

"Come back to us,"

---

_Dun dun duuuuun _

_ // Marlin  
_


	3. Chapter 3

_Oh my gosh! Another chapter 8D_

_Thank you everyone greatly for the inspiration =w= You all help me sooo much!_

_I will apologize for this chapter. It came out a tad strange, but I don't know. Maybe I'm just crazy? XD (well... I am.. soooo)_

_Now. Many readers have been asking me of what pairings I am using in this story. Allow me to clear that up.  
_

_Answer is - NONE_

_There will be undertones but nothing cannon in my story. I'm trying to focus on the friendship of the characters above all, surrounding this mystery. So for those of you begging me not to use certain couplings. Don't worry! And those who want to imagine their relationships as love- go ahead XD But it is not official in my fanfiction._

_Thank you for reading :3_

_I still do not own D. Gray Man. Only the idea for this story._

_*hands out cookies and milk*_

_R&R will make me smile ^___^_

_---_

**Chapter 3**

Lenalee sat up and stretched her arms out in front of her. Smiling tiredly, she glanced toward the window where a small amount of light shone through. It was barely 6 a.m. and Lenalee was already ready to start her day. She scooted out of bed and hurried off to clean herself up before going to visit Jeryy for breakfast.

"Good morning!"

Even as early as it was, the man was still as chipper as ever. Lenalee smiled brightly.

"Morning, Jeryy. How are you this morning?"

"Better now that I've seen your pretty face, darling," He fixed up a delicious looking, full plate within seconds and handed it to the young girl before him. "Now, enjoy,"

"Thank you," She nodded and turned to walk toward the nearest table.

Half a week had drifted by since Allen had spoken with Lenalee about her behavior. She had snapped out of it and taken better care of herself since. Her face was no longer as pale, the darkness under her eyes had faded away, and she was better at controlling her emotions. She felt foolish looking back now at how she had been acting. Lavi needed her to be strong, and needed somebody positive to rely on. What good would she have been if she had grown so weak and crumbled before his eyes? When Lavi woke up, he would need all the support he could get. Lenalee wanted to make sure she was one of the first and strongest for him to lean on.

She finished up her meal, and cleaned up her trash relatively quickly. She had planned on taking a walk after she ate, but as if the weather were her enemy, it had started to storm the moment she was finished. She sighed but shrugged off what irritation that came to her. The rain would get over now, and she could go outside later. At least, that is what she would keep telling herself... Rain was all too common in England and it was something most of the exorcists in the European branch had quickly grown to despise.

Lenalee started her way out of the cafeteria and down the hallway. She had little else to do at such a time, so figured she'd go and visit Lavi early today. While walking, she couldn't help but notice the silence thick in the air around her. It was early, sure, but she was used to seeing far more people awake at this hour. She shook her head, swallowing her uneasiness.

She was over thinking things. Everything was fine.

Lenalee's heart had stopped when she had finally reached the infirmary. There had been a crash, followed by several voices in the direction she was going.

Lavi?

Lenalee took off running, her thoughts melting into something she could no longer understand. The world around her was a blur, and the only thing that seemed to matter was the condition of her dear friend.

The moment she arrived at the door, she pushed her way inside and stopped in her tracks. Faces of some nurses and other medical personal looked up at the girl. Allen was crouched on the ground, sitting only a couple feet away from a trembling, curled up body.

"...L- Lavi?" She stepped forward and the nurse closest to her put a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait."

Lenalee's eyes grew wide when she realized Allen was bleeding. A large scratch across the side of his face forced him to close his left eye, but the boy still smiled, holding out a hand.

"Lavi... it's me... Allen," He paused. "We're friends... remember?"

The redhead continued to tremble, his arms tightly hugging his knees close to his chest. Lavi lifted his head slightly, gazing at the boy before him. Terror-stricken, emerald burned through Allen. Trying to approach Lavi again only resulted in the older boy sobbing and kicking awkwardly. His body was too weak for him to control his limbs, and he knew this. His sobs grew louder as he placed his hands over his face.

"Lavi..."

Lenalee pulled away from the nurse and carefully walked towards Allen and Lavi.

"Lenalee... it isn't-" Allen stopped as the girl passed him, and crouched down right beside Lavi.

He flinched at her touch, and she pulled her hand back when he raised his face to hers.

"It's okay," She whispered. "No one's going to hurt you... I promise,"

She smiled, reaching again to brush some strands of hair from his eyes. He winced slightly, another couple fresh tears falling down his cheeks.

"You are safe," She moved a hand behind his head with great care. "Lavi,"

The boy, who had been so hostile only moments before, remained still as Lenalee embraced him. She rocked him, shushing his cries, and trying to calm what had him so worked up. He didn't push away, and after a couple minutes, she had walked him back over to his bed.

Allen stood up, holding a hand over his left eye.

"Good job, Lenalee," He smiled; relieved Lavi was back in bed. "He woke so suddenly... I didn't think he'd freak out so much,"

Lenalee sighed looking from Allen and back to Lavi who was staring off at the opposite wall.

"With how he was found..." She frowned, touching Lavi's forehead gently. "I'm not all that surprised..."

Allen nodded.

"I am happy you managed to calm him,"

"Me too, Allen," Lenalee bit her lip, blinking at tears that burned behind her eyes. "Me too..."

---

_Lavi is a mental case 8D YAY_

_I promise the story will move a tad smoother now =w=;_

_// Marlin  
_


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry for the looooooong break ;___;_

_I've been super busy AND my writing muse likes to run away a bunch. :( Makes me sad._

_It is 4 in the morning 8D _

_Sooo I apologize if this chapter sucks! It is better than nothing- right?_

_Please R&R and let me know what you think! Thank you everyone!!!_

---

**Chapter 4**

"_Where am I?"_

A nurse smiled at Lavi, smoothing a fresh blanket over him. He didn't move, only stared. He placed his hand to his forehead. He was covered in a cold sweat, his body trembling.

"_They… They are going to hurt me… Aren't they?"_

"Lavi, you need to rest," The woman pushed some of her blond hair behind her ear.

"_Lavi? Is… Is that my name?"_

A man with a clipboard walked in. Lavi didn't look over; instead he kept his gaze on the wall across from him.

"How is he doing?"

"He hasn't said a word yet and he's running a fever," The nurse replied with a frown.

The man nodded.

"It is understandable I suppose,"

"_Why can't I remember anything?"_

Lavi clenched his fists, blinking furiously at what tears were building behind his eyes.

"Where are Lenalee and Allen?" The man took a drink from his coffee mug. Lavi looked at him now, he glared, wanting this man- whoever the hell he was- to give his memories back. He didn't know why but for some reason it felt the man with the clipboard was somehow at fault.

"We asked them to leave for a little while," She glanced to Lavi. "We wanted to see if we could find out what happened to him."

"_I need to get out of here. I… I can't trust these people."_

"Has Bookman dropped by yet?"

"Yes, he did for a little while…" The nurse looked anxious. "Lavi didn't respond to him. We think he may have lost a big chunk of his memory,"

Lavi noticed the man clench the handle of his cup tighter.

"Was this confirmed?"

The woman sighed and shook her head.

"There is no way to confirm it while Lavi stays silent."

"And his trouble speaking… is it a physical problem?"

"No, sir, we already checked that. We believe he may need more time to get over the shock, or… the ability to speak may have been repressed with whatever memories he has lost,"

The man looked nervous and paused for a good minute.

"Is this permanent?"

"There is no way to know,"

"Komui?"

The cracked door was lightly knocked at, before Lenalee popped her head in.

"May I come in?"

"Oh! Lenalee," Her older brother smiled. "Of course! Come in,"

He looked to the nurse.

"I should be getting back to… work," Komui smiled, turning to leave, obviously with no intention of heading back to work.

"_I'm… scared…"_

Lavi hadn't even noticed Lenalee walk in. After Komui and the nurse's conversation had gone on he had zoned out, anxiously trying to search his brain for anything that could help him remember what he had forgotten. His birthday, his age, his regular everyday activities… he couldn't remember anything!

And these people… these strange people in this strange, cold building… who were they? What did they want? Were they friends or enemies? Lavi didn't trust them.

"Lavi…" A small hand was placed over his.

The boy looked up, his body relaxing as soon as he saw Lenalee's smile.

"You need to rest, you let yourself get too worked up," She brought a cool cloth to his face.

Lavi closed his eyes.

Lenalee was nice, he felt safe when she was there. He knew she wouldn't hurt him. There was something in her eyes that felt familiar to him and gentle.

"It's only been a day since you woke up," Lenalee spoke up again. "Give yourself some time to recover, everything will be fine, you are safe here,"

Lavi opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't figure out how. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, so many things he needed to be made clear. He touched his neck, trying again to speak.

Again, nothing came out.

"Lie down and sleep," Lenalee smiled, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Lavi shook his head and bit down on his lip, tears of frustration blurring in his eyes.

"_I don't even know who you are. This could be all a trick."_

"Lavi…"

His heart stopped and his eyes widened.

"_Blood…"_

Lavi couldn't swallow.

"_I… I can remember blood."_

Lavi gasped, throwing his hands over his face.

"_That's all I can remember!"_

"Lavi!" Lenalee leaned over, moving his hands from his face. "Look at me, Lavi! You are fine- safe- remember?"

Lavi stared back at her, terrified.

"You are okay," Lenalee choked on her tears, hating herself for crying. "I won't let anyone hurt you,"

Lenalee held Lavi's cheek in her hand.

"I promise,"

Suddenly, Lavi moved his head and pushed her hands away from him. He couldn't speak, but it was enough to show he didn't want her touching him.

"… L- Lavi,"

He shook his head, weakly squeezing her hands before letting them go.

Lenalee nodded.

"I'm sorry, Lavi…" She leaned over and kissed the top of his head. "I don't know exactly what you are going through, but I do want to help,"

Lavi wouldn't look back at her as she stood to her feet.

"Get some sleep, Lavi." She forced a happy tone. "I'll see you tomorrow,"

Lavi listened to her footsteps and then the door shut.

"… _Why?"_

Lavi opened his eyes and stared down at his hands in horror.

"… _Can I only remember… blood?"_

He could taste the bile in his throat.

"… _Why?"_


	5. Chapter 5

_OMG- An update 8D_

_Sorry again for the wait... TT___TT *gives extra cookies and candy*_

_I LOVE you all!!! You are awesome and make me so so sooo very happy!_

_Please R&R and let me know what you think :)_

_xoxoxo  
_

---

**Chapter 5**

Kanda walked down the hall. His footsteps silent, he was sure to keep himself alert. Any sudden noise and he straightened his back against the nearest wall, hiding from any exorcist who might walk by. Kanda didn't want to have to explain why he was walking by the infirmary, somewhere he despised with a passion, when his room and the training grounds were in the opposite direction.

Lavi had woken up a little over a week ago. Lenalee had said he couldn't speak, and had lost his memory. The boy was also having nightmares frequently and he hadn't started showing any improvement yet despite what treatment he was given. Lenalee was updating Kanda regularly since he hadn't gone to visit Lavi. He wasn't the type of person to openly display his worry, and certain idiotic people would never let him live it down. Lenalee always seemed to understand Kanda and the way his thinking worked. She could sense his curiosity and his anger, his overall frustration over Lavi's state. The young man didn't have to say a single word and she knew.

Kanda was in fact concerned over the situation and what exactly happened. The red head was annoying as hell, sure, but it was more irritating not having him around. It was lonely, as hard as that was to admit, Kanda missed the damn rabbit.

It was late, almost midnight, and after countless efforts to try and fall asleep, Kanda had given up. He decided to take a walk, but instead of training like he usually did in such a predicament, he took a detour.

The infirmary was quiet, as the man had thought it would be. The staff would check on the patients off and on throughout the night, nowhere as regular as during the day. Kanda didn't want to take any chances and even though it seemed safe, he remained tense and careful.

Lavi's door was cracked open. It was too dark to see anything inside, so Kanda assumed the other boy was fast asleep. He bowed his head and stood still for several moments. After a short and to the point prayer, Kanda sighed and turned to head back.

_Creeeaaaak. _

A door let out a whine, the hinges squealing as they were forced to move. The exorcist halted. His breath was caught in his throat and out of habit, mugen was already drawn. In a split second he was at the door, ready to attack, his blade inches away from… Lavi's face.

Both boys' eyes were wide, and a silence so thick stuck in the air for several seconds. Lavi was standing at his door, clinging onto the chipped slab of wood for support. The nurse wasn't letting him walk around much yet, so his legs weren't back to normal. His eye looked from Kanda, to the blade, and back to Kanda before his face turned a light shade of gray.

Kanda quickly sheathed his sword just as Lavi fell to his knees.

"Sh*t, Lavi…" Kanda crouched down, careful to keep his distance.

Lavi was terrified. He stared back at Kanda, his gaze blank, and mouth open.

"I- I'm sorry," Kanda twitched, the word feeling foreign as it left his lips. "I didn't think you were awake,"

Lavi swallowed hard, his blank stare melting into a variety of emotions; confusion, suspicion, frustration, and fear. Kanda took a deep breath, remembering the state his friend's mind was currently in.

"I'm Kanda. You know me…" He paused, glancing away. "I'm not going to hurt you."

His words didn't seem to reassure Lavi. Kanda let out a frustrated sigh before speaking again.

"What the hell are you doing out of bed anyway?"

Lavi stared back at Kanda nervously, unsure if he could trust him. Finally, he lifted his arm and pointed to the infirmary's bathroom.

"Oh," Kanda looked the direction before glancing back. "I'll help you over there,"

Lavi nodded, his complexion seemed to have a little more color. Kanda stood, and supported the red head as they walked. He let go of Lavi once they reached the door, and he staggered inside. Kanda leaned against the wall, arms folded and eyes closed, waiting for Lavi to finish. He could have left. He would have, but he didn't. He waited patiently to ensure Lavi made it back to his room okay. He couldn't convince himself to walk away.

Minutes started to slide by.

Lavi had gotten sick. Kanda cringed every time he heard Lavi choke on his vomit. The walls were thin enough; Kanda could hear each wheezing breath and gasp the other boy made. He clenched his jaw, trying to block out the coughing, and whimpering. He stood his ground, his patience losing its grip little by little. After a good fifteen minutes had passed, Kanda gave up, and walked into the bathroom.

Lavi was on the floor, his back against the wall. His head was leaning to one side, eyes closed, arms and legs lifeless.

Kanda forgot how to breathe for a moment.

"Lavi." His voice didn't shake but it came out softer than it should have.

He looked dead. Kanda would have believed it too if Lavi hadn't lifted his head and open his eyes.

Kanda hadn't felt that relieved in ages. He walked forward and grabbed a towel that was sitting by the sink, wet it with some cool water, and then kneeled down in front of Lavi.

"You look like hell…" Kanda said more to himself than to the boy in front of him, it was hard for his brain to register what he saw.

The hallway they had been in was dull and shadowed the sickly features Kanda could see so vividly now thanks to the bathroom's florescent lights. Lavi's once lively, emerald eyes had grown dull, clouded, and dark rings contrasted against his pale skin. Lavi's clothing was baggy, his pants hung low at the waist, and his shirt looked a couple sizes too big. He had lost weight, a lot of weight. Kanda could see whatever was messing with his mind was completely breaking him. He was falling apart.

"Are you done?" Kanda wiped the sides of Lavi's mouth with the damp towel after wiping his forehead. He wasn't sure what else to do and was starting to freak out a little. He managed to keep his calm demeanor.

Lavi nodded, his head heavy. Vomiting had drained what little energy he had had to begin with.

"Come on,"

Kanda carefully helped Lavi back to his room. He searched the wall and flipped the light switch. It only took a moment, before he froze in shock.

The room was trashed.

Kanda looked over at Lavi, who had an arm draped over his shoulders.

"What… what happened in here?"

Kanda knew Lavi couldn't answer, but he was hoping for some kind of reaction. Lavi didn't move though, his gaze was kept on the ground, and Kanda couldn't read his expression. But somehow Kanda knew what Lavi couldn't say.

"You did this…" Kanda looked back at the disaster, puzzled.

The chairs that were turned over were only a small part of the mess. Lavi's blankets and pillow had been thrown to the ground and rubbed out stains were in various areas of the carpet.

And the walls…

The walls were decorated with various claw marks, cracks, and scrawled out writing. It looked as if it had taken quite a beating over several days. He couldn't figure out why Lenalee hadn't said anything about this. Finally, Kanda's focus fell on the center of the plaster. He swallowed, mouth dry.

Among the chaotic ramblings and strange symbols, one word stood out.

A single word, carved deep into the wall.

"_S U R V I V E"_


End file.
